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purpusia, rock whitefeather

silver-hair ivesia, silverhair mousetail

Habit Plants green, ± tufted, often forming hanging clumps, sometimes rosetted.
Stems

pendent or prostrate to ascending, (0.2–)0.5–1.6(–3) dm.

Basal leaves

planar, 2–15(–20) cm; sheathing base usually not strigose abaxially;

petiole 3–10 cm;

lateral leaflets (2–)3–4(–5) per side, separate, broadly ovate or obovate to orbiculate, (2–)5–15(–18) mm, incised 1/4–3/4 to base into (3–)7–11 ± ovate teeth, apex not setose, surfaces ± sparsely short-pilose, ± glandular;

terminal leaflets ± distinct.

Cauline leaves

1–3;

blade well developed.

Inflorescences

(1–)5–30(–150)-flowered, open, 0.5–14 cm diam.

Pedicels

5–30 mm.

Flowers

6–12 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets 0(–3), lanceolate, 0.9–1.8 mm;

hypanthium turbinate or campanulate, 1.5–3(–5) × 1–3(–4) mm;

sepals 2–4(–5) mm, acute;

petals yellow or white, oblanceolate to elliptic or obovate, (1.6–)2–4 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 0.8–1.3 mm, anthers ± yellow, oblong to narrowly ovate, 0.6–1.5 mm;

carpels (2–)6–10(–13), atop a stipelike torus, styles 0.9–1.8 mm.

Achenes

greenish white to light tan, 1.2–2 mm, faintly rugose, ± carunculate.

Ivesia arizonica

Ivesia argyrocoma

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Because the epithet saxosa was retained for Potentilla saxosa upon transfer to Ivesia, a different epithet (arizonica) was needed when Purpusia was likewise transferred in the same publication (B. Ertter 1989). The correct name for this species in Potentilla is P. osterhoutii (A. Nelson) J. T. Howell, due to the existence of P. arizonica.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

Plants from the central Sierra San Pedro Mártir in northern Baja California belong to var. moranii Ertter & Reveal, which may be distinguished by its compact stature (to 0.5 dm), densely villous basal stipules 2–4 mm, decumbent stems 2–7 cm that are stipitate-glandular under the villous indumentum, and solitary, loosely congested cyme. The petals are oblanceolate to narrowly obovate and 2.5–3.5 mm. The grayish, faintly mottled achenes are 1.3–2 mm.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Petals yellow; hypanthia campanulate.
var. arizonica
1. Petals white; hypanthia turbinate.
var. saxosa
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 224. FNA vol. 9, p. 242.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Setosae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Unguiculatae
Sibling taxa
I. aperta, I. argyrocoma, I. baileyi, I. callida, I. campestris, I. cryptocaulis, I. gordonii, I. jaegeri, I. kingii, I. longibracteata, I. lycopodioides, I. muirii, I. multifoliolata, I. paniculata, I. patellifera, I. pickeringii, I. pityocharis, I. pygmaea, I. rhypara, I. sabulosa, I. santolinoides, I. saxosa, I. sericoleuca, I. setosa, I. shockleyi, I. tweedyi, I. unguiculata, I. utahensis, I. webberi
I. aperta, I. arizonica, I. baileyi, I. callida, I. campestris, I. cryptocaulis, I. gordonii, I. jaegeri, I. kingii, I. longibracteata, I. lycopodioides, I. muirii, I. multifoliolata, I. paniculata, I. patellifera, I. pickeringii, I. pityocharis, I. pygmaea, I. rhypara, I. sabulosa, I. santolinoides, I. saxosa, I. sericoleuca, I. setosa, I. shockleyi, I. tweedyi, I. unguiculata, I. utahensis, I. webberi
Subordinate taxa
I. arizonica var. arizonica, I. arizonica var. saxosa
I. argyrocoma var. argyrocoma
Synonyms Purpusia arizonica Horkelia argyrocoma, Potentilla argyrocoma
Name authority (Eastwood ex J. T. Howell) Ertter: Syst. Bot. 14: 233. (1989) (Rydberg) Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 284. (1908)
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